A-Z of the South West number 18 - Garvoc

So far in our A-Z of the South West we've met one or maybe two people in each place to talk about some of the history of the area in question. This week, half of Garvoc came along to share their history.

Well, maybe not half, but certainly some of the district's oldest and most knowledgable residents gathered around a table at the local cafe to talk about the Garvoc of their youths and how the place has changed over the years.

Garvoc has never been a big centre, although one of our guests - Peg Green - did come armed with a map of some of the buildings which used to be in the area - many of which are now gone.

She also spoke about some of the slightly grisly things which used to happen at the back of her house when her father was the local butcher.

The Ash Wednesday bushfires had a big impact on the town as well, and in this piece you'll hear Mick Lenehan's story of losing his house while fighting fires elsewhere.

Dawn Pearson is another member of the group who's lived in the area her entire life, she recalls the one and only debutante ball as one of the highlights of growing up in Garvoc.

Bev Moore describes herself as a 'blow in', despite living in the area for twenty five years now. She says it was easy to settle into life in Garvoc, and the relationships which have developed between them all are the sort of life long friendships which have clearly made for a strong local community.

Like many smaller centres the area has suffered from school closures and other nearby towns dragging business elsewhere, but the local shop has recently been revitalised possibly giving Garvoc a new lease of life into the future.